Phlebitis means the inflammation of a vein. Thrombophlebitis is the term used when a blood clot causes such inflammation, leading to swelling.
Types
The condition can be divided into two main categories. The first is superficial phlebitis, which involves the veins close to the skin’s surface. The second type is deep vein thrombosis, which involves the deeper veins in the body.
Causes
This can be caused by damage to the wall of the blood vessel, inadequate blood flow or an abnormality with coagulation. Damage to the wall can occur is a result of trauma to the area. Inadequate blood flow happens when somebody is lying or sitting down for long periods of time. This happens in people who are bedridden, who have just had surgery, or who are traveling long distances without getting up. Coagulation abnormalities can happen as a result of problems with blood cells or with the plasma in blood.
Risks
There are a number of risk factors that increase your chances of developing thrombophlebitis. These include smoking, hormone therapy, pregnancy, oral contraceptives, obesity and immobility.
Symptoms
When a clot forms in a blood vessel the blood flow is impaired. As a result you can get swelling of the area, along with redness, tenderness, warmth over the area and pain. The extent of the symptoms will depend on how big the clot is and which vessel is involved. You may also get a low-grade fever.
Diagnosis
A physical examination may very well lead a doctor to the diagnosis of Thrombophlebitis based on your history of symptoms as well as the physical examination. For more difficult cases, and to prove without a doubt that the correct diagnosis was made there are a number of tests that can be done.
A Doppler ultrasound is a non-invasive method that will allow the doctor to visualize the blood vessel and the clot within it. Venography is more invasive and involves the passage of a tube inside the vessel to view what is going on. Blood coagulation studies will also be done to see if there is any coagulation abnormality. Tests for a raised D-dimer in the blood are helpful, but they are also raised in conditions like cancer and pregnancy.
Treatment
Treatment for the condition is aimed at treating the cause as well as the symptoms. It would help to raise the area to help reduce the swelling. Heat will help to reduce the inflammation and swelling. You should try as far as possible to keep pressure off the area to prevent further damage to the vessels. You may be given analgesics for pain, antibiotics for the infection and anti-inflammatories for the inflammation. Thrombolytics are used to help dissolve the blood clot, and anticoagulants help to prevent more clots forming.
In certain cases surgery may be required. This involves manually removing the clot or doing a bypass if need be. A bypass basically means taking a vessel from elsewhere in the body and attaching it to ether side of the clot, allowing blood to bypass the clot. This is rare but it does happen.
